Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 365 Pu Liurujian is very good looking
Yuwen Yong stared at his eldest son sternly.

"I arranged academic tasks for you, but you are not up to the task."

"At a young age, I started learning how to drink from others."

"As the eldest son, you are so disrespectful in the palace!!"

"Do you think the eldest son will definitely become the crown prince?!"

Yuwen Yong asked angrily.

Yuwen Yun trembled, dared not speak, and did not even dare to look at his father.

Yuwen Yong ordered someone to bring a whip, "From now on, do not be disrespectful in the palace!!"

"Crack~~"

"what!!"

"Don't delay your studies!"

"Snapped!!"

"Father, spare my life!!"

"No drinking!!"

"Snapped!!"

Yuwen Yong hit him countless times. Yuwen Yun was covered in blood and trembling on the ground. The soldiers on both sides were frightened but did not dare to dissuade him.

Looking at his trembling son, Yuwen Yong dropped the whip in his hand and said solemnly: "The world is in danger now. As the eldest son, if you don't study, don't know the truth, and can't take the lead in observing etiquette, how can you govern the world in the future?!"

"From today on, I will send someone to watch your every move."

"You must report your behavior to me every month."

"If I find that you still don't repent and don't have the virtues of a eldest son, I won't enthrone you as the crown prince!"

"roll!"

Yuwen Yong cursed, and several guards hurriedly helped Yuwen Yun up and took him out of the main hall.

Yuwen Yong looked at his son leaving with disappointment and slowly closed his eyes.

This is not like me at all. I have already reached this age, but I haven't even completed the basic enlightenment. I am not good at riding and shooting. Even my attitude towards people and etiquette are problems.

Therefore, until now, he has not been willing to make his eldest son the crown prince. However, the other sons are not necessarily better than the eldest son. He wants to wait and see how the younger ones perform. If they are also like this in the future, then he can only let the eldest son be the crown prince. However, someone like him cannot inherit the great cause. He must be treated severely and whipped constantly to make him realize his mistakes! !

He also called in officials and asked them to keep an eye on his eldest son's every move and report to him on time.

After finishing all the work, it was already getting dark.

Yuwen Yong was still trapped in the palace and unable to move.

There are still mountains of documents around, and there are too many things to handle.

Taoist Zhang Bin stood at the door with a bitter face, looking cautiously at the emperor inside and not daring to get close.

Zhang Bin was valued by the emperor because of his excellent prophecies.

His greatest contribution was that he found out through divination that Liu Taozi was a descendant of the Xiongnu Qiehu. He believed that in the future, the Zhou Dynasty's documents and oral addresses should use "Dugu Qihaizhen" instead of Liu Taozi.

At the same time, he discovered through observing the qi that Dugu Qi would definitely die a violent death.

Yuwen Yong still adopted Zhang Bin's suggestion, and the words "Hu thief" and "Dugu Qihaizhen" were used in the main documents and oral addresses of the Zhou people.

He also actively created momentum in the country to publicize Dugu Qi's real atrocities.

Yuwen Yong slowly put down the document in his hand and looked towards the door.

"What are you doing standing at the door?!"

Zhang Bin lowered his head, tiptoed to the emperor, and knelt down in worship.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent."

Yuwen Yong's face still looked unhappy. After all, not long ago, this old Taoist priest kept saying that as long as he took the stage, he would be able to silence those monks, and start to rectify Buddhism from then on, making it impossible for them to stand up again.

But Zhang Bin also let the emperor see the real result.

If the emperor hadn't helped, these big monks would have been able to talk these old Taoists to death.

Once the label of being a Hu or Han person is put on him, Zhang Bin might not be able to get out alive.

Looking at this good-for-nothing old Taoist priest, Yuwen Yong felt a little disdainful in his heart.

Buddhism, Taoism?
He originally wanted to use Taoism to suppress the sect and use one faction to fight against another.

But now it seems that these two are useless. If you have the ability, it is best to beat them both.
As Yuwen Yong thought about it, he felt a headache again and rubbed his forehead gently. He hadn't had a rest for a long time.

Zhang Bin secretly looked at the emperor, and at this moment his eyes lit up.

"Your Majesty, have you been feeling weak lately?"

"Oh? Can you cure it?"

"Your Majesty, you have worked too hard and damaged your vitality. Fortunately, I am good at refining Peiyuan Pills. Just one bite of this pill can make you feel refreshed and replenish your vitality, and you won't get tired easily. Your Majesty is busy with many things every day."

Yuwen Yong narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "Will it work?"

Zhang Bin looked up, "It's definitely useful! This is a unique secret technique that my sect has been refining for many years. It can even cure death. My ancestor once met a hunter in the mountains. He was bitten by a wild beast and was almost dead. The ancestor fed him the elixir, and the hunter woke up immediately and felt no pain in his body. After thanking the ancestor, he went down the mountain! Many people know about this!"

"Oh? Is it really so magical?"

Yuwen Yong suddenly became curious.

Zhang Bin said confidently: "Your Majesty will know the truth once you try it!"

"If Your Majesty finds it useless, I am willing to accept the death penalty!!"

Hearing Zhang Bin's sincerity, Yuwen Yong couldn't help but be shaken. The Zhou he took over was a scarred and devastated country. There were so many things he needed to do, and the hard work all day made him feel that his health was deteriorating rapidly.

"Okay, go ahead and refine it. If it's really useful, I'll give you another reward."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

Zhang Bin breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him again and again.

Yuwen Yong said again: "You really disappointed me in this debate. I will continue to organize debates in the future. Go find me the most powerful Taoist priests and make sure to defeat those monks!!"

"only!!!"

Zhang Bin left, and Yuwen Yong was left alone in the hall again.

He picked up the document in front of him, looked at it for a few seconds, and suddenly felt a little jealous of Liu Taozi.

If Liu Taozi wanted to deal with those big monks, he could directly send troops to destroy their temples and force them to return to secular life. It is said that in Hebei, Liu Taozi forced more than 400,000 monks and nuns to return to secular life.

Four hundred thousand people
Yuwen Yong felt envious just thinking about it, and in his own territory, this number must be several times higher.

It’s a pity that he is not an emperor and cannot act as recklessly as Liu Taozi.

However, sooner or later there will be a chance.

As long as there are enough people standing by your side
"Someone is coming!"

"Order Duke Yang Jian to come to the audience!!"

Suiguogong Mansion.

There were not many people in the mansion and the lights were dim, except for the inner room, which was still bright.

Yang Jian sat in the upper seat, holding a cup of tea, and discussed with several people around him.

After Yang Zhong's death, Yang Jian took the initiative to write a letter, hoping not to inherit the title and to mourn for his father for a few years.

But Yuwen Hu directly ordered him to come to Chang'an to observe mourning.

As soon as Yang Jian arrived in Chang'an, Yuwen Hu died at the hands of Yuwen Yong, which made Yang Jian shocked and frightened.

He then began to live a peaceful life in Chang'an, without contacting any of his father's old friends, interfering in the affairs of the court, and even not taking the initiative to ask the emperor for an official position. He almost began to lie low.

The people under his command advised him to find more young talents in Chang'an and recruit them as his disciples, but Yang Jian refused to listen.

The thing he did most in the palace was reading. He read all kinds of books, from military tactics to divination, to internal affairs, calendar, agriculture, law, and he even took the initiative to learn some unpopular foreign languages.
Since Yang Zhong's death, the arrogant young man who used to be a little domineering has become different.

He became more taciturn and calmer. He would not speak unless he could. He would think before encountering things. Facing the people around him, he became more and more like an elder, no longer impetuous, and people even ignored his real age.

At this moment, the people gathered around him were all elderly doctors.

These people just bury themselves in studying classics and spend their entire lives researching them. They cannot be officials and do not understand politics. They seem to know everything, but they know nothing.

Yang Jian asked them about his academic confusion. The old doctor could not help but sigh: "In today's world, everyone wants fame and fortune, and classics are just tools for them to become officials or show off. There are very few people who can take it as seriously as the Duke."

Yang Jian shook his head slightly.

He said: "Classics should not be underestimated. These books are the foundation of etiquette and culture. Without books, people would have no rules for doing things, and would not know what is good and what is bad, and would not know right from wrong."

"If I can govern the world well one day, I will definitely send people to collect books from the people. I will reward every book presented with a large sum of money as a thank you. I will transport all these books to the palace, have them copied, and distribute them so that people all over the world can read them. Then everyone will know who they are, who their ancestors are, and how to live in the future. Everything will be clear."

Several doctors looked at each other, as if they had discovered the hidden meaning of Yang Jian's words.

They stood up and saluted Yang Jian tremblingly, "Duke Dazhi!"

"No, no, please sit down."

Yang Jian invited them to sit down again and asked other questions with a smile.

At this moment, a guard suddenly came in and interrupted their conversation. It was the emperor who sent someone to ask Yang Jian to go to the palace.

Yang Jian was quite surprised. He looked at the sky, was silent for a while, and then asked people to take out gifts to thank these old doctors and sent people to send them home.

He got on the carriage and headed towards the palace.

After Yang Jian arrived at the gate of the palace, he was searched several times before being allowed to pass.

He was escorted all the way to the main hall by the soldiers.

Yang Jian pushed open the door and walked into the hall.

Yuwen Yong sat in the upper seat, holding a book in his hand, and Duke of Qi Yuwen Xian sat next to him.

The two brothers seemed to be discussing some classic at the moment.

Yang Jian hurriedly saluted, but Yuwen Yong waved his hand and said, "Pu Liuru, why are you so polite? Come and sit down, come and sit down!"

Yang Jian lowered his head and sat next to Yuwen Yong.

Yuwen Yong showed the book in his hand to Yang Jian. "I heard that you study classics in your house all day long. I like it very much. I just debated with Duke Qi about this!"

"You come and tell us who is right and who is wrong, just now."

"Your Majesty is right, Duke Qi is wrong."

Yuwen Yong was shocked. He slowly put down the book in his hand and said, "But I haven't told you yet."

"Even if your majesty didn't say it, your majesty is right and Duke Qi is wrong. No matter what happens, your majesty is right and Duke Qi is wrong."

"The ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son, Your Majesty is the Supreme Son of Heaven, if you are wrong when discussing the classics, then it can only be the classics that are wrong."

Yuwen Yong was stunned. He put down the book, smiled bitterly and said, "This is the first time I've heard of such a truth!"

"As an emperor, can't you make mistakes?"

"According to you, all the ministers who advised the emperor were guilty?"

"Admonition is just telling the emperor your own ideas and asking him to consider whether to adopt them. It is not to accuse the emperor of his mistakes and ask him to correct them according to your own ideas."

"Your Majesty is the one who decides the affairs of the world. The affairs of the world are extremely complicated. Different people will have their own opinions on different things. It is best for everyone to have the right opinion, but it is best for only one person to give orders. If everyone wants to give orders, then the country will definitely perish in the end."

"Aren't all the policies that Your Majesty has implemented these days designed to ensure that there is only one person in the world who can give orders?"

Yuwen Yong pondered for a long time and looked at Yuwen Xian beside him.

"Ah Xian, what do you think?"

Yuwen Xian looked at Yang Jian dimly, "Maybe that's the case."

Yuwen Yong shook his head. "Now that you mention it, I have forgotten what I wanted to say to you."

"Jian, since you know all these principles, why do you still stay at home reading scriptures instead of coming out to work for me?"

"Your Majesty, I am a humble and inexperienced person. In the past, I only trained myself, exercised my martial arts, and learned how to lead troops, but I did not know anything about government affairs. Now I have thought of catching up on these things, so I have started to study seriously, hoping to assist Your Majesty in creating a prosperous era in the future."

Yuwen Yong laughed and said, "Okay, then tell me, what methods of governing the world have you learned from reading?"

Yang Jian lowered his head and said, "I have been reading the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi recently. I think Huang Lao is very important to me. I think Huang Lao's teachings are really powerful. If you don't do anything, the world will be better."

Yuwen Yong stared at Yang Jian fiercely, "Is that it?"

"You can make the world better without doing anything?"

"That's what the book says."

Yuwen Yong stared at Yang Jian for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Good idea! Good solution!"

"Maybe it's really as you said!"

Yuwen Yong laughed for a long time before putting away the books in front of him. "I heard that you have a daughter named..."

"Lihua."

"Yes, yes, I have heard the Queen Mother praise you, saying that although your daughter is young, she is very polite and virtuous."

"My eldest son is about the same age as your daughter, but he is not very talented. I would like to marry your daughter to my eldest son. What do you think?"

Yang Jian was shocked and stood up quickly, "My daughter is vulgar, how can she be a match for your Majesty's eldest son?"

"So you don't agree?"

"I dare not, I dare not, I am just a minister."

Yang Jian stammered, sweated profusely, couldn't speak, was confused, and had a look of disbelief. He didn't answer, but just stared at Yuwen Yong, which was very rude.

Yuwen Yong laughed again, "Since you agree, let's do it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!!"

Yang Jian finally came to his senses and thanked the emperor sincerely, saying, "I will not let your majesty down and I am willing to defeat the Qi people for your majesty!"

Yuwen Yong told him many things and then let him go.

After Yang Jian left, the smile on Yuwen Yong's face gradually disappeared, and he looked at Yuwen Xian beside him.

"What do you think?"

"What about this person?"

Yuwen Xian had a calm expression, "He knew that Your Majesty was trying to centralize power, so he played to His Majesty's wishes and deliberately said some words of loyalty to the emperor as a form of flattery."

"Then he immediately hid his incompetence and presented himself as a reckless man who knew how to fight but didn't know politics."

"When he learned that His Majesty had granted him the marriage, his first reaction was not surprise, but fear. After he realized that something was wrong, he deliberately lost his composure to make His Majesty like him even more."

"I see this man has an unusual appearance and is quite cunning."

"Too ambitious, not worth re-employing."

Yuwen Yong was stunned for a long time. He looked at his brother and shook his head helplessly.

"You think too much. I know Yang Jian better than you do. He can only be a general in his life and cannot do anything else."

"When Yuwen Hu was still here, I hid for so many years. Is it possible that I can't tell whether I was hiding my incompetence or not?"

"Don't worry too much."

Yuwen Xian lowered his head and stopped talking.

Yuwen Yong sighed, "I need your help. The Buddhist affairs are not urgent for the time being, but the affairs of the powerful families cannot be delayed any longer."

"This matter has been brought up many times in the past, but it has never been resolved."

"It's mainly because the government is not resolute enough. They always say they are against the annexation of farmland and want to distribute the land equally, but they don't do anything to the powerful. How can they achieve equal distribution of land?"

"I am going to issue a direct decree: Anyone who hides more than five households and ten men, or hides more than three hectares of land, will be put to death!"

“Implement nationwide!!”

Yuwen Xian was a little surprised, "Brother, isn't this decree a bit too much? I'm afraid it will cause unrest."

"Now is the best time. Foreign enemies cannot interfere, so we must take advantage of this opportunity to do what needs to be done. Just think about it, how many people and farmland are hidden by these people! If it weren't for them, would we have to watch Liu Taozi show off his skills but not be able to do anything?"

"Even if it causes chaos, even if it means I will be infamous for all eternity! I will drag these thieves who bring disaster to the country and the people to death together with me!!"

"Ah Xian, are you willing to help me?!"

Yuwen Xian's expression gradually became solemn.

"I am willing to die for your majesty!!!"

(End of this chapter)